UIC scored the fastest goal in team history and went on to defeat Purdue Fort Wayne, 2-0, Wednesday.

Louise Trapp connected on a header born of aggressive play from the opening whistle at just 1:04.  Grace Setter scored on another header in the 32^nd minute, and the Flames' defense allowed a season low two shots on goal.

"It's definitely nice to go up 1-0 early on," Andrew Percic said.  "However, PFW is a solid team.  They're well organized and dangerous.  Sometimes that initial goal lights a fire under the other team and they battled well and competed.  It wasn't an easy game by any stretch.  Getting that second goal was massive because it put us on the front foot and gave us a little bit of breathing room."

"We started really quick and got a goal in the first minute," Jack Curtin added.  "All week we trained really well and I think that showed.  We reacted in a great way to last week's defeat."

The Flames made a statement on defense and recorded their third shutout of the season.  Lena Kurz made one save and got help from her teammates, who cleared a loose ball off the line in the 83^rd minute.

"Our back line has been fantastic and they're a huge part of that," Percic noted.  "Allie [Tefend] in the 88^th minute sprinted the full length of the field to slow up an opportunity.  It's that kind of work rate and effort from our back line that has made it easy on Lena."
 
Match Highlights

• The Flames netted the fastest goal in program history at 1:04, bettering the score at 1:44 against IUPUI in 2015.  Grace Haines served in a corner kick that never hit the ground, going from the head of Keri Birkenhead to that of Louise Trapp to the back of the net.
• UIC had a couple more moments of anticipation before 10 minutes passed.  Jelena Zbiljic and Trapp had excellent interplay down the field before Purdue Fort Wayne's keeper intercepted a pass.  Zbiljic put a shot on goal just later from a credible angle.
• The Mastodons got organized and threatened on a few set pieces of their own.  A free kick from midfield ended up getting loose in the box before Kurz grabbed it.  A centering pass in transition afforded the visitors a shot that went wide, and minutes later they had successive corner kicks that required careful attention by UIC's defense.
• Zbiljic unleashed another shot in the 29^th minute, requiring Lorah Pund to climb the ladder to deflect.  Grace Setter left no doubt a few minutes later when the Flames won a free kick from near the corner.  Brielle Gomez lofted a perfect ball into the box where Setter nodded it in.
• Purdue Fort Wayne had two chances to get on the board in the second half.  Five minutes in, they took a free kick from the top of the box but it went right into the wall.  Ten minutes later, the Mastodons parlayed a free kick into a corner kick, and took an open shot, but sent it wide.
• In between PFW's chances, UIC had two chances for a shot off a free kick.  Separately, a throw-in went off Birkenhead's head just past the far post.  Gomez was near the ball but couldn't get to it in time to redirect it.
• Kurz made the necessary plays down the stretch to preserve the clean sheet.  Trapp rocketed a shot off the crossbar in the 89^th minute and the final score remained 2-0.

Facts and Figures

• Zbiljic and Alexis Weeren each made the first start of their career.
• Kathryn Rutledge played 12 minutes in her Flames debut.
• Setter had a game high six shots, tying the most by any Flame in a match this year.  Three of them went on goal.  She became the sixth player to score a goal on the season.
• Haines' assist was her first of the season.
• The Flames were whistled for a season high 21 fouls; the Mastodons 11.
• Total shots were close, with UIC holding a 15-13 edge, but shots on goal favored the Flames 8-2.
• Birkenhead and Morgan Reitano were each issued a yellow card.

Up Next

• The Flames will play the two teams they are jockeying with at the top of the Horizon League standings, IUPUI and Milwaukee, the next two weeks.
• A St. Patrick's Day match at IUPUI is first up.
• "The momentum that we got today will be a positive thing for our season," Curtin said.  "It's exciting to be playing against them now.  It will be a great test for us and I think we'll be ready for it."